SP13 answers to the questions..

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Soft, luxery, silky yarns. No thick, itchy yarn. I don't like angora and mohair, the fluffy ones, either. I’m in love with Wollmeise, Opal and Koigu, I do not like acrylics or synthetics.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have one needle case given by my best friend. It containes no knitting needles though. My needles are stored in plastic ice coupe glasses and a lemonade can with a knitted cosy around it. I still havn't found a good way to store my circ's. Except my Denise interchangeble Knitting needles.. but they came in their own case.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I'm a intermediate beginner. I started knitting in december 2006. I did do some knitting in the nineteen-seventees, but not much.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes I have an Amazon wishlist: http://tinyurl.com/yvpqhz

5. What's your favorite scent?
Lavender, sage, mint, lemon and cinnamon. I'm addicted to sage. I burn dried sage leaves on a piece of charcoal in a small couldron I burn also my incense in. The smoke that comes free is the best scent ever. Except for lavender, lavender is my absolute favorite.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
No, I don't like sweets except for one thing: very, very, very dark chocalate. No any other chocolate, just the very, very, very dark one. 71% and higher. Preferably with nuts.


7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I love cross stitching, embroidery, sewing, needlebinding (an ancient Viking fiber craft) and I’m learning to spin on both the drop spindle and the wheel. I like dying yarn and on my wishlist is learning how to weave, do card weave and sprang. I have a flickr album with pictures of my crafts and my craftroom.: http://flickr.com/photos/marretje/ I’m also a Viking re-enacter.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
My computer and my stereo play MP3s and I have an iPod.I am a huge metal/rock/punk fan. But I also like irish/keltic music. Enya, Clannad, Lorreena McKennet, The John o’Gods, Danny Guinan, Mark Gilligan. I also love the spiritual/pagan/wiccan sounds from Omnia and the Mediaval baebes. Some gothic, I found Seduced by Suicide on MySpace and love it. I still like the sounds of the 70's and 80's, am still a big Abba fan, love James Marsters. No opera, jazz, dutch or french singers please...

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Lavender, all kinds of purples in combination with whites, off white, creamy whites. Greens, Blues, silvery grey. I absolutely cannot stand orange, and "baby pink"or "babyblue". I realy like the 'cold' colors. Although Autumn is my favorite season, I love those colors in nautre very much.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am a happy single, no kids and I'm a well trained employee/servant for my female cat Ayla.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes!, yes!, yes!, uhm.. no, no poncho's

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks! I’m addicted to socks. I have started the Rogue hoody, and I have Cat Bordhís book A second treasury of magical knitting and I'm still looking for time to start to knit something from that book. Her other books are on my wishlist ;-)

13. What are you knitting right now?
I’m knitting socks: Firestarters for me, 2 socks on 1 circ toe up for me, I've started the Hedera from Cookie A for me and I'm knitting a pair for my best friends husband. European size 46... Oh and lets not forget the Rogue hoody...

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, very much

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I love my bamboo dpn’s 2.5 mm can’t have enough of those. I knit socks on 5 dpns by the way.
No metal, i get cold hands very fast and I loose grip on those needles

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have a swift and I’m still looking for a second hand pretty priced yarn winder.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I don't have a knitting UFO. I am a slow knitter, so it does take some tiome to finish my projects, especially in a time off startitis.. But..lets not talk about my cross stitch UFO's, ok? :)

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I don't have a special holiday in mind. I've been to Egypt twice, will go there once again, but I don't know when. I like to stay at home, discover new nice places in my own town or country and finally have the time to cross stitch or knit all day long. Read the books I've wanted to read for so long or just visit some friends and enjoy their company. I think my favourite place would be my livingroom in winter with candles, incense and the curtaines closed or my balcony filled with herbs and plants in spring/summer. Add a glass of red whine or Iirish whisky to it, some nice cheese (not the blue ones or the brie's) a book, or my cross stich or knitting work and I'm perfectly happy. On the other hand, I also like to spend my evenings in my stamcafé, the Irish pub Mulligan's with friends, live music and good whisky :D But I also like spending time behind my computer, living my Second Life.
As for the celebrating the years-around holidays. I'm a pagan, so I do not celebtrate the Christian holidays.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides WIP's, cross stitch patterns, knitting patterns and all the things I love to make once, some day, when I find the time? No, I don't think so. Books maybe. I love books.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have a lot of books on my wish list, the Cat Bordhí books are hard to get here, so if I order them from Amazon, the shipping costst will make the books rather expensive. That's why they are highest on my wishlist. I subscribed to a dutch magazine Handwerken zonder Grenzen. I have a subscribtion on SpinnOf. I love magazines. They are small presents that fill my letterbox every month. I'm considering a subscripton to a knitting magazine, but don't know which one yet.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I love to start on the moebius-techniques needed for Cat Bordhí’s projects, never done that before, so I’m excited to try. I also recently bought the book ‘ Viking patterns for knitting’ and that has lots and lots of cablework in it, love to try that too.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, an addicted one, I have European size 36/37

23. When is your birthday?
June 3rd

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what is your ID?
Yes, I'm marretje on Ravelry

I did it again...

I joined Secret Pal 13

I'm soo excited. I will post more info soon, and I need to update my questionaire.. But for now I just wanted to let you know :D

Speechless

Look what my Secret Pall sent me:

Her name is Hanna and she's from Finland
Thank you so much Hanna, I love what you sent me, especially the hat :D

Secret Pall 11 goodies

All I can say is Thank you!

I love the yarn, the tea smells interesting and the chocolate is yummie! :-)

I did not get the nice necklace properly on the picture, but it is purple as well.

Fibre craft fair and gifts

Danny and I went to the fibre craft fair in Den Bosch yesterday. We had a great time, bought some nice things and spent some time knitting at the Stitch 'n Bitch table.


I bought a yarn rack, something I wanted for a long time.

The cones with the yarn on it is linen thread and I bought that in Oerlinghausen. I'm planning to tablet weave or card weave with that.

I also bought a fabric cutter, some knitting needle protectors and a book:

Oh, and uhm... yes that _is_ Noro on the top left. Danny and I are going to knit some arm warmers from that. Danny bought also 2 balls; same colour as mine are. :D


When I got home I found 2 packages. One from my Fat Quarter swap partner:

Thank you so much Eve!


And one from my Punk Rock Gift Exchange semi-secret partner:

Thank you Metal and Knit!


As I have a week off from work I have enough to do and enjoy.
So here are my plans for tomorrow:

First I will go to my school (info from link is in Dutch only) for my arts and crafts lessons. We are working with clay at the moment and I made a vase.. some sort of.. Anyway, it looks like a vase, lets put it that way. ;-))

After my lessons I go to visit my mum and dad, finally giving them their socks I knit them and in the evening you will find me at Café De Jaren, to meet my knitsibs (I love that word, Brenda Dayne uses it in her podcast) from my Stitch and Bitch group.


so, I write:
TTFN, CUsoon
:D

Sunday update

I got my first package from my Secret Pal 11:

Thank you pal! It is great!

Received my stitchmarkers from mySwapbot Partners

Pantoufle & Melanie

Thanks girls! I love them

And this morning I gave a guided tour at Artis. It was my first english guided tour and it went pretty wel. 4 people from India and I walked for 2 hours with them. It was a nice tour and they did enjoy themselves very much.

Now I will N-joy the rest of my Sunday with making stitchmarkes for yet another swap :D

Secret Pal 11 Questionaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Soft, luxery, silky yarns. No thick, itchy yarn. I don't like angora and mohair, the fluffy ones, either. I’m in love with Wollmeise, Opal and Koigu

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have one needle case given by my best friend. It containes no knitting needles though, but I use it when I’m traveling. My needles are stored in plastic ice coupe glasses and a lemonade can with a knitted cosy around it.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I'm a intermediate beginner. I started knitting in december 2006. I did do some knitting in the nineteen-seventees, but not much.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes I have an Amazon wishlist: http://tinyurl.com/yvpqhz

5. What's your favorite scent?
Lavender, sage, mint, lemon and cinnamon. I'm addicted to sage. I burn dried sage leaves on a piece of charcoal in a small couldron I burn also my incense in. The smoke that comes free is the best scent ever. Except for lavender, lavender is my absolute favorite.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
No, I don't like sweets except for one thing: very, very, very dark chocalate. No any other chocolate, just the very, very, very dark one. 71% and higher

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I love cross stitching, embroidery, sewing, needlebinding (an ancient Viking fiber craft) and I’m learning to spin on both the drop spindle and the wheel. I like dying yarn and on my wishlist is learning how to weave, do card weave and sprang. I have a flickr album with pictures of my crafts and my craftroom.: http://flickr.com/photos/marretje/ I’m also a Viking re-enacter.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
My computer and my stereo play MP3s and I have an iPod.
I like irish/keltic music. Enya, Clannad, Lorreena McKennet, The John o’Gods, Danny Guinan, Mark Gilligan. I also love the spiritual/pagan/wiccan sounds from Omnia and the Mediaval baebes. Some gothic, I found Seduced by Suicide on MySpace and love it. I still like the sounds of the 70's and 80's, am still a big Abba fan, love James Marsters. No opera, jazz, dutch or french singers please...

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Lavender, all kinds of purples in combination with whites, off white, creamy whites. Greens, Blues, silvery grey. I absolutely cannot stand orange, and "baby pink"or "babyblue"

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am a happy single, no kids and I'm a well trained employee/ servant for my 2 female cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, yes, yes!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks! I’m addicted to socks. I will start the Rogue hoody soon, and I have Cat Bordhís book A second treasury of magical knitting. So I ordered the Denise knitting needles set and as soon as that has arrived, I wil start knitting bags and cat beds from that book. Her other books are highest on my wishlist.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I’m knitting socks, 1 pair for my dad, 1 pair for my best friend and 1 pair for me, first try at toe-up.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, very much

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I love my bamboo dpn’s 2.5 mm can’t have enough of those. I knit socks on 5 dpns by the way.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have a swift and I’m still looking for a second hand pretty priced yarn winder.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I don't have a knitting UFO. Lets not talk about my cross stitch UFO's, ok? :)

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I don't have a special holiday in mind. I've been to Egypt twice, will go there once again, but I don't know when. I like to stay at home, discover new nice places in my own town or country and finally have the time to cross stitch or knit all day long. Read the books I've wanted to read for so long or just visit some friends and enjoy their company. I think my favourite place would be my livingroom in winter with candles, incense and the curtaines closed or my balcony filled with herbs and plants in spring/summer. Add a glass of red whine or Iirish whisky to it, some nice cheese (not the blue ones or the brie's) a book, or my cross stich or knitting work and I'm perfectly happy. On the other hand, I also like to spend my evenings in my stamcafé, the Irish pub Mulligan's with friends, live music and good whisky :D

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides WIP's, cross stitch patterns, knitting patterns and all the things I love to make once, some day, when I find the time? No, I don't think so. Books maybe. I love books.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have a lot of books on my wish list, the Cat Bordhí books are hard to get here, so if I order them from Amazon, the shipping costst will make the books rather expensive. That's why they are highest on my wishlist. I subscribed to a dutch magazine Handwerken zonder Grenzen. I have recently subscribed to SpinnOf and I'm waiting for my fisrst issue to arrive. I have The Gift Of Stitching, an online cross stitch magazine and another dutch cross stitch magazine, named Borduurblad. I love magazines. They are small presents that fill my letterbox every month. I'm considering a subscripton to a knitting magazine, but don't know which one yet.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I love to start on the moebius-techniques needed for Cat Bordhí’s projects, never done that before, so I’m excited to try. I also recently bought the book ‘ Viking patterns for knitting’ and that has lots and lots of cablework in it, love to try that too.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, an addicted one, I have European size 37

23. When is your birthday?
June 3rd

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what is your ID?
Not yet, still waiting for the invite to arrive. Situation on agust 16th: 1544 people ahead of me in line...

Update: august 24th: 709 ahead of me